Methods of preparing organohalosilanes are known in the art. Typically, organohalosilanes are produced commercially by the Mueller-Rochow Direct Process, which comprises passing an organohalide over zero-valent silicon in the presence of a copper catalyst and various optional promotors. A mixture of organohalosilanes, the most important of which is dimethyldichlorosilane, are produced by the Direct Process.
The typical process for making the zero-valent silicon used in the Direct Process consists of the carbothermic reduction of SiO2 in an electric arc furnace. Extremely high temperatures are required to reduce the SiO2, so the process is very energy intensive. Consequently, production of zero-valent silicon adds costs to the Direct Process for producing organohalosilanes. Therefore, there is a need for a more economical method of producing organohalosilanes that avoids or reduces the need of using zero-valent silicon.